Ideas for your morning protein shake:

In the past, the taste of protein shakes has been reminiscent of days spent camping and drinking powdered milk. It's something you've got to do, but you hold your nose the entire time and gulp it down quickly and hope you don't vomit. I used to just say no to protein shakes because of the awful taste, and when I'm dieting down for a show, the word "particular" doesn't even begin to describe my feelings about my food preparation and the sensation on my taste buds. I want to enjoy my food, not just wolf it down to get the eating process over with; otherwise, sticking with a strict nutrition plan becomes that much more difficult.

I've learned in the past couple of years how to make shakes a bit more tasty. And it helps that the products have become friendlier to the palate. I usually depend upon a low carb variety (usually 15 grams of carbs or less) and then utilize natural foods to add in more carbs on days that I'm feeling flat or de-energized or have a strenuous workout(s) planned. The following is a list of things to consider adding to your protein shakes. Please realize, though, that if you are competing you might want to really consider your goals in fat loss before adding some of the following ingredients. For example, I cut out peanut butter when I'm getting ready for shows and depend upon flaxseed oil mostly as my fat source. I also don't get as much of a variety of fruits as I would in the off months. You get the idea.

Ingredients:

- Oats - Fresh banana - Peanut butter - Almond butter - Sugar free pudding mix - Any type of frozen fruit - Fresh pineapple - Coconut - Graham crackers (there are several varieties; my favorites are oatmeal or cinnamon) (I suppose, along these same lines, you could use the Teddy Grahams to save time in breaking up the crackers; plus, they're really cute!) - Fresh berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, cranberries) - Jam (there are lower sugar varieties; this is a good fast-acting carb and can work well directly after a workout if you are trying to bulk up) - Using milk instead of water - Extracts (there are tons of these; pick a flavor you like and experiment) - Frozen yogurts or the new low carb Ben and Jerry's ice creams (again, this is an off season or bulking phase sort of ingredient and an absolute no no in the competition season, unless you have crazy genetics) - Splenda (this is a lifesaver because it helps to sweeten the shake and it tastes much better than Sweet n Low or Equal)

Here is one variety of shake that I've made and have found to be quite yummy!

Peanut Butter and Jelly

- Your normal serving of vanilla flavored protein powder (I usually have between 25 and 35 grams of protein in one shake) - 1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter (low sugar, low sodium) - 1 tablespoon of jam, a flavor of your choice (my favorites are black raspberry and apricot; blueberry, strawberry, and grape also work well; you might even try orange marmalade!) - � cup of oats (more or less depending upon your planned carb intake for the day) - Water (you can use skim milk if you are in off season or trying to bulk up) - Ice (I put in a ton of ice; the more you use, the thicker it will be. Besides, shakes are always best when ice cold.)

Blend all ingredients together for a full minute and then pour into a huge cup and enjoy!